Erico Ortiz: April 2024

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Color... !

"Emerald Forest" (acrylics, 24x24")

I've been inspired by so many requests for my art lately. People have enjoyed my use of color. I decided this one needed to focus on one set of cool colors (blues, greens) with a contrast of warmer tones (orange, yellows, pink). The contrast is fun to view. -Erico

Monday, April 15, 2024

The Guitar....

The Guitar (acrylics, 18x24")

I am very happy with how this turned out. It's colorful, it's fun. I'm trying to do something new with each new work of art. I do hope people enjoy seeing it on display during Gallery Night this year. -Erico

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Commissioned work is fun!

Picasso-inspired Painting (acrylics, 15x15")

I had painted a small wood chair in this style during the pandemic. I had so much fun watching it develop and people have enjoyed viewing it. Evelyn Patricia Terry fell in love with it during my exhibit opening on March 1, but it was not for sale. She asked if I could create a version of it on canvas. This is the result. I'm anxious to see her reaction when she receives it. -Erico

Biographical Note

Erico Ortiz was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico in 1955. He earned his undergraduate degree at Marquette University (Spanish Education) and a Masters Degree from UW-Milwaukee (Administrative Leadership). Erico taught Spanish for ten years and then became a school administrator, having worked at several Milwaukee Public Schools until retiring in 2011. He has worked with several community theatre companies, both on stage and behind the scenes, something he still enjoys today. He plays guitar and, until June 2019, could be found Sunday mornings directing the Spanish choir at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish in Milwaukee. In 2014, he opened Inspiration Studios, a small art gallery and performance venue in downtown West Allis that he owns and manages. Erico's life is all about the arts!

Artist's Statement

In 1998, a study leave immersed me in art education courses at UW-Milwaukee. While this was not the traditional studio coursework that a budding artist would undertake, I learned the value of critical thinking and problem-solving as they relate to educating students in the arts. After years of rather humble artistic endeavors, my retirement from the Milwaukee Public Schools in 2011 provided the opportunity I needed to explore visual arts as never before. I began to paint! I realized that inspiration was all around me—in people and places, sights and sounds, music and movies.

As part of my creative process, I determine the idea for a project. Then the first challenge is the mixing and blending of colors to achieve a certain effect on a canvas, a challenge I truly enjoy. Sometimes that selection process takes on a life of its own... and I'm forced to abandon my initial intention to give way to a new creative thought. Still honing skills and techniques, I am often thrilled (and sometimes pleasantly surprised!) by the resulting color compositions and the overall product.

What began as a hobby has become a way of viewing the world and expressing my mind’s eye on canvas. If you choose to view these pages, you will see that I am still finding my way.

Erico Ortiz

Gallery Exhibits